After an era in charge of Germany and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Julian Draxler has left France for Qatar. His new club is Al Ahli SC.
Al Ahli of the Qatar Stars League announced on its website on Monday that it has “officially signed Draxler, formerly of PSG, on a two-season contract until the summer of 2025. Chairman Abdullah Al Mullah welcomed Draxler and emphasized that he will be a great addition to the team.” The transfer fee is reportedly €9 million and he will wear the number 7 shirt.
“Draxler emphasized that he is excited to join the Qatar League and will do his best to live up to the expectations placed on him. He also emphasized that he knows that Al Ahli is the most traditional club in Qatar and thanked the management and fans.” 토토사이트
The transfer is a done deal. Loic Tansey, a reporter for French outlet L’Equipe and a well-known PSG source, wrote on social media on Tuesday, “PSG have agreed to send Marco Verratti and Draxler to Qatar after weeks of negotiations. It could be a page in PSG history. Verratti will join Al Arabi and Draxler will join Al Ahli,” the club announced.
They have finally arrived on Qatari soil. “Draxler has arrived in Doha to join Al Ahli. He will undergo a medical,” Al Ahli tweeted on April 16, sharing a picture of Draxler wearing the club’s muffler. Eventually, all the formalities were finalized and the deal was sealed.
PSG was acquired by Qatar Sports Invest (QSI) in 2011. Since then, the team has brought in some of the best players in the world, including through oil money. The best is definitely the ‘MNM line’. Neymar broke the world record for the most expensive player in history, earning €222 million (approx. $314.2 billion). Mbappe left AS Monaco for €180 million (KRW 254.8 billion). Lionel Messi was signed as a free agent, but for an astronomical fee.
The goal was clear. Win the UEFA Champions League (UCL), soccer’s most prestigious competition. PSG was going to do it with the “MNM line” of Messi, Mbappe, and Neymar. It was a game-changing combination, but it was all for naught. PSG’s pride was shattered as they were knocked out in the round of 16 for the second consecutive season by Real in 2021-22 (2-3 on aggregate) and Bayern Munich in 2022-23 (0-3 on aggregate).
After the season ended, the rebuilding began. First, we said goodbye to Messi, whose relationship cooled after his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia. Neymar, who was constantly rumored to be on his way out, also left. They had been faithful until the preseason, but their longtime partnership came to an end.
Both Messi and Neymar expressed their disappointment. Last month, Messi said, “I didn’t want to go to PSG. It was hard because I didn’t want to leave Barcelona, but now it’s the complete opposite,” Messi said. Neymar added: “Messi and I both had a hell of a life at PSG. We tried to become champions and complete the history. But unfortunately, we didn’t. Messi was unfairly blamed for the defeat,” Neymar recalled of his farewell to PSG.
We also say goodbye to Draxler. After signing for €36 million in 2017, he anchored the Paris midfield alongside Verratti for many years. He was hampered by injuries, big and small, every year, but he did his job every time he stepped on the pitch. But even he couldn’t escape the purge. Draxler will be playing in Qatar after joining Al Ahli.